I don't know if anyone can help, but I'm looking for a long lost
recipe. I had always been told to call them "puddlers" (not sure on
spelling), but they were small indian savoury pancakes. I'm not sure
of everything that went in them, but I'm sure (well, pretty sure) it
used besan flour, garam masala, cumin seeds and chopped tomatos, plus
a whole pile of other stuff which I don't remember. Everything was
all mixed in the batter, nothing added while the pancakes were
cooking. Just ladle it into small 10cm-ish pancakes. Does this sound
familiar? Can anyone point me in the right direction?

On Sat, 16 Feb 2008 09:45:01 -0800 (PST),
wrote:

>I don't know if anyone can help, but I'm looking for a long lost
>recipe. I had always been told to call them "puddlers" (not sure on
>spelling), but they were small indian savoury pancakes. I'm not sure
>of everything that went in them, but I'm sure (well, pretty sure) it
>used besan flour, garam masala, cumin seeds and chopped tomatos, plus
>a whole pile of other stuff which I don't remember. Everything was
>all mixed in the batter, nothing added while the pancakes were
>cooking. Just ladle it into small 10cm-ish pancakes. Does this sound
>familiar? Can anyone point me in the right direction?

I think your "puddlers" are actually "pudla" (aka "puda"). There are
many different ways to make them but I'm sure if you search using that
term you'll find something close to your old recipe. Other terms you
could search on are "dosa" and "chilla".

To: fatal.lordes

> I don't know if anyone can help, but I'm looking for a long lost
> recipe. I had always been told to call them "puddlers" (not sure on
> spelling), but they were small indian savoury pancakes. I'm not sure
> of everything that went in them, but I'm sure (well, pretty sure) it
> used besan flour, garam masala, cumin seeds and chopped tomatos, plus
> a whole pile of other stuff which I don't remember. Everything was
> all mixed in the batter, nothing added while the pancakes were
> cooking. Just ladle it into small 10cm-ish pancakes. Does this sound
> familiar? Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Here you go....

Chickpea Flour Pancakes (makes three large pancakes)

1 cup besan/gram flour (Indian chickpea flour)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup water
1/4 lemon, juiced (about two really good squirts of lemon juice)
1 cup chopped veggies (I like 1/4 cup frozen peas, 1/4 cup chopped onion and
1/2 cup tomato)
a chunk of onion to season your skillet

1. In a small bowl, mix together the besan, salt, baking soda, and spices.

2. Add the water and beat well. The besan tends to clump a bit, so you can
sift it if you want, but I just beat the lumps out with a fork.

3. Beat in the lemon juice with a fork.

4. Stir in the mixed veggies (you can add some chopped cilantro and freshly
grated ginger if you have it). Whatever you do, don't taste the batter.
Raw chickpea flour tastes terrible!

5. The easiest way to make these, is to season a cast iron skillet with the
cut side of an onion. This is an amazing trick for savory pancakes, and
helps the pancakes to pop out of the pan--even if you make these without
oil. You could also use a non-stick gizmo for good results. To season,
just rub the surface of the pan vigorously with the cut side of an onion,
you can also add a touch of oil if you want.

6. Ladle 1/2 cup of batter at a time into the hot seasoned skillet (cook
over medium low heat) and spread the batter out so it's not too thick.

7. Cook until the bottom is brown and there are bubbles surfacing in the
center of the pancake. Flip and cook the other side. These take
considerably longer to cook than regular pancakes, so you want them on a
lower heat to keep them from burning. I'd say they take at least 5
minutes to cook on each side. 8. Repeat with the rest of the batter and
serve with pickle!

Since you're heading out to the Indian market anyway, try some lemon pickle! I
don't get enough opportunity to eat this spicy, pungent stuff. I've found a
brand that I think is fantastic, Laxmi Brand and it's produced and distributed
in the USA. They don't use any preservatives or artificial stuff, and the
ingredients are so simple: lemon, corn oil, red chili powder, salt, mustard,
fenugreek and asfotida (hing). We've also tried their mango chutney and a few
other varieties of pickle, which I think are way superior to the other brands
available.

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